Combination of long-barrelled firearm and safety appendage



Aug. 26, 1958 W. J. VARLEY COMBINATION OF LONG-BARRELLED FIREARM AND SAFETY APPENDAGE Filed Oct. 14, 1954 INVENTOR.

9 WILLIAM J. VARLEY BY W W ATTORNEY 2,848,833 Patented Aug. 26, 1958 COMBINATION OF LONG-BARRELLED FIREARM SAFETY APPENDAGE William J. Varley, Springfield, Ohio Application October 14, 1954, Serial No. 462,247

2 Claims. (Cl. 42-85) My present invention relates to fire-arms and is particularly directed to improvements in connection with long-barreled weapons such as rifles and shot-guns.

A prime requisite of a fire-arm is that it shall incorporate safety features and modern weapons are provided with devices which decrease the tendency toward accidental discharge. However, huntsmen in search of quarry are frequently forgetful or careless and accordingly accidental discharge is fairly common.

Frequently when traveling fields on the trail of game it becomes necessary for the huntsman to climb through or over fences and at such times the fire-arm presents a hazard. If the fire-arm be retained by the hunter accidental discharge is quite possible; if the fire-arm be supported on the ground or against the fence contamination of the weapon as well as accidental discharge may well occur. Frequently, if the weapon is passed to a fellow huntsman, the transfer and regaining of the weapon involves the possibility of accident.

Many of the fences which are required to be traversed are of wire and it is a primary object of the present invention to provide means which in combination with a rifle, shot-gun or similar weapon facilitates the secure positioning of the weapon while preventing contamination thereof as the huntsman moves through or over the fence.

It is an important object of this invention to provide in combination with a fire-arm having a trigger guard means to permit the secure retaining and support of the fire-arm when the same is not in use and which do not interfere with the normal use of the weapon.

The invention will be more fully understood by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a shot-gun illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the structure of Figure 1;

Figure 3 illustrates the shot-gun of Figure l in supported position on a wire fence;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the shotgun of Figure 3 in supported position on the wire of the fence;

Figure 5 illustrates the removal of the shot-gun from the wire of the fence; and

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a bottom portion of the shot-gun of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings there is indicated generally at 1 in Figures 1 and 2 a shot-gun having a barrel 3, a forearm 5 and butt-stock 7. Forward of the butt-stock in the direction of the forearm is the usual trigger guard 9 within which there is positioned the trigger 11. Guard 9 extends downwardly enclosing the trigger forwardly on the fire-arm.

Extending forwardly of the trigger guard adjacent the safety 12 is a rigid metal appendage in the form of a substantially S-shaped member 13 of substantially the same width as the guard as seen most clearly in Figure 6.

This member 13 may be integral with the trigger guard, welded thereto, or secured in any suitable manner such as by solder as indicated at 15.

The forward portion of the member 13 extends free of the trigger guard in the direction of the barrel length terminating well rearwardly of the barrel end. This forward portion of the member 13 also tapers downwardly from the direction of barrel length and away from the forearm 5 slightly and accordingly the opening formed by the member 13 and the body or receiver portion of the shot-gun is a wedge-shaped wire-receiving bight 18 open laterally as well as forwardly. The rear end of the bight is closed by the trigger guard 9.

Referring now to Figure 3, as a hunter approaches fence 16, the shot-gun may be moved forwardly'with the barrel away from the huntsman and transversely to the wire until the wire 17 enters the bight 18 of the wirereceiving means and is wedged by the huntsman into the wire-receiving bight as shown most particularly in Figure 4. More suitably the bight is wedge shaped to accommodate the several sizes of wire which may be encountered and to permit of easy removal of the fire-arm from the fence.

After passing the wire into the wedge shaped opening or bight 18 the huntsman pushes the butt-stock forwardly in such manner that the shot-gun is pivotally supported upon the wire 17 of the fence. Since the balance of most firearms, including shot-guns and rifles, is closely adjacent the trigger guard the firearm will then lie in a vertical position on the fence as shown in Figure 3.

With the firearm thus safely secured and free of any contamination from the ground the huntsman climbs the fence or passes through it in any convenient manner and once on the other side withdrawal of the firearm from the fence is effected by simply pulling the butt of the firearm in the direction of the huntsman and such that the barrel is away from the huntsman as shown by the arrow in Figure 5.

More specifically to remove the shot-gun the same is pivoted slightly on the means defining the wire-receiving bight or opening. Thus the structure of invention affords the hunter optimum safety since the barrel of the shotgun is at all times positioned away from the hunter.

Referring now to Figure 6 it will be noted that as shown therein the guard 9 is formed integral with the trigger guard assembly which is a usual structure in firearms. The assembly comprises a support plate 19 which has any suitable fastening means (not shown) for securing the plate to the body of the shot-gun and through which plate trigger 11 extends downwardly, and the guard 9 depends from the plate rearwardly thereof.

The member 13 extends forwardly from the trigger guard beneath the forward portion of the plate and forms with the forward portion of the plate the wire-receiving bight 18. The plate 19 is of course a portion of the body or receiver portion of the shot-gun when the same is completely assembled. The substantially S-shaped member may accordingly, if desired, be formed in the course of manufacture of the trigger guard assembly and may be marketed with the assembly.

I have found that the preferred arrangement of the means defining the wire-receiving bight described is particularly suitable since there is no interference with the normal use of the firearm, the bight receives the wire in close fitting relation as shown most clearly in Figure 4, and no change need be made in the usual firearm to accommodate the invention.

Further such wire-receiving bight means is useful in the storage of firearms as well as providing a safety factor for a supported strand of wire in any convenient space will serve to retain the weapon. No mechanical Web or latch of any kind is necessary since the wire under the weight of the arm itself wedges firmly and with the wedge-shaped bight adjacent the balance of the weapon the same is securely supported.

It will be understood that this invention is susceptible to modification in order to adopt it to different usages and conditions and accordingly it is desired to comprehend such modifications within this invention as may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a long-barrelled firearm having a trigger, a longitudinally extending receiver portion and a trigger-guard depending from the receiver portion enclosing the trigger, said trigger-guard having a forward portion which extends in a generally vertical direction toward the said receiver portion, an appendage member having a substantially S-shape secured to the bottom and forward portions of the trigger-guard extending upwardly on the said forward portion and projecting forwardly from the trigger-guard below the said receiver portion in a downward direction from the said receiver portion of the firearm forming with the receiver portion a wedge-shaped wire-receiving bight, said appendage member being wholly below the said receiver portion, and said bight being open forwardly and laterally whereby wire received in said bight is wedged between said appendage member and said receiver portion.

2. In combination, a long-barrelled firearm having a trigger, a longitudinally extending receiver portion and a trigger-guard depending from said receiver portion enclosing the trigger, said trigger-guard having a forward portion which extends in a generally vertical direction toward the said receiver portion, an appendage member secured to the forward portion of the trigger-guard and projecting forwardly from the trigger-guard below the said receiver portion in a downward direction from the said receiver portion of the firearm forming with the receiver portion a wedge-shaped wire-receiving bight, said appendage member being wholly below the said receiver portion, and said bight being open forwardly and laterally whereby wire received in said bight is wedged between said appendage member and said receiver portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 435,833 Hockett Sept. 2, 1890 703,520 Bergman et a1. July 1, 1902 897,577 Bourne Sept. 1, 1908 1,273,287 Stankewicz July 23, 1918 2,420,267 Sefried May 6, 1947 2,484,928 Boone Oct. 18, 1949 2,590,516 Breymann Mar. 25, 1952 2,601,135 Hammar June 17, 1952 2,635,379 Baker et a1 Apr. 21, 1953 2,664,659 Parker Jan. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 8,576 Switzerland June 30, 1894 

